1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method of printing data from a terminal such as a personal computer and a workstation.
2. Discussion of the Background
When a user using a terminal equipment, such as a personal computer and a workstation (hereinafter referred to as a PC/WS), desires to print data, such as document or image data, which has been created or read from a file by manipulating a document editing/processing application, the user selects and executes the printing instruction of the document editing/processing application. Then, in response to the printing instruction, the document editing/processing application reads out a printer driver via an intermediate module such as a graphic user interface (GDI) under control of an operating system (OS) of the PC/WS. The printer driver converts the data to printing data using a page description language (PDL) that can be processed by the controller of a printer which is designated by the printing instruction. The printing data is then transferred to the printer controller via a spooler and through a network or a serial or parallel communication path. The printer controller processes the received printing data into bit-mapped image data for each page for printing, and then instructs the printer to print the data on a sheet.
The printing instruction of the document editing/processing application generally includes a standard setting for the printing condition for printing data. The user may further set additional printing conditions with the document editing/processing application or via the user interface the printer driver provides.
When the user does not need to print out the data immediately, instead of transferring the printing data to the printer for printing, the user may file the printing data in a storage device as a printing job file for printing later. The user reads out the printing job file from the storage device at his or her desired time to transfer the file to the spooler for printing the data with the printer.
Further, the user may integrate a plurality of printing job files thus stored in the storage device into one integrated printing job file and send the integrated printing job file to the printer for printing in one lot using a known printing application for managing and printing a plurality of printing job files. In this case, even when the plurality of printing jobs files are sent to the printer for printing in one lot with the printing application, the printing data of each printing job file includes the printing conditions specifically set for the job with the printing instructions of the document editing/processing application with which the printing data is generated. Therefore, the printer receiving the plurality of printing job files executes each printing job according to the printing conditions specifically set for the printing job.
When the user prints the plurality of printing job files in one lot with the printing application for printing a plurality of printing job files in one lot as described above, the user may desire to change some parts of the printing conditions set for each printing job individually for each printing job, or to change the printing conditions for each of the plurality of printing job files into one common printing condition.
Further, the user generally desires to view a print image of each printing job file on a display screen before printing to confirm the print image. Therefore, the PC/WS must have the application to process the PDL with which the printing data of each printing job file is written.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-discussed and other problems and addresses the above-discussed and other problems.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a novel data printing system and method that allows a first application for processing a plurality of printing job files to process the data for printing and a second application to change the printing conditions individually for each printing job file or commonly for all of the printing job files.
The preferred embodiments further provide a novel data printing system and method that provides to the second application a print image of a specific printing job file designated by the second application.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a novel system for printing data includes a printer to print the data on a sheet and a terminal to process the data by a first application. The printer has an interface connecting to outside of the printer, and the terminal is connected to the printer via one of a directly connected cable, a network and a printer server. The terminal includes an intermediate module operated under control of an operating system of the terminal; a communication processor communicating with the printer via the interface of the printer; and a printer driver activated by the application via the intermediate module to generate printing data of the data processed by the terminal and to cause the printer to print the data according to the printing data received by the printer. The printing driver is configured to generate an intermediate printing data for the data before tuned for an outputting size for the data, and to allow a second application to access and change the intermediate printing data to an ultimate printing data and to cause the printer to print the data according to the ultimate printing data.
The printer driver may further be configured to generate a print image of the intermediate printing data and provide the print image to the second application.
The printer driver may be configured to include an application interface for the second application to access the intermediate printing data.
Further, the printer driver may be configured to allow the second application to inquire and obtain an answer about functions of the printer and setting parameters for each function of the printer.
Furthermore, the printer driver may be configured to provide to the second application the answer about the functions of the printer in a form of a characters row.